


Three Women And A Baby

by Newbie_2u



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 17:37:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18609301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newbie_2u/pseuds/Newbie_2u
Summary: Summary: Sometimes all it takes one simple act of kindness to erase all your sorrow.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own them… if I did there would have been kissing and such. This story is not intended for profit but simply to test my ability to create something I am happy with that others might enjoy. Voyager and its characters are the property of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures. No infringement intended.

**Part 1**

“I can’t do this, Harry!” Tom yelled as he paced the floor of his best friend’s quarters. “I’m just not ready to be a father – I wasn’t even sure I was ready to get married for crying out loud!”

Harry looked at the blonde as if he had sprouted another head. “You can’t be serious, Tom! B’Elanna is pregnant with your child – you can’t take that back or get a do-over.” The normally calm young man was incensed at his friend’s behavior. “This is real-life Tom not some holodeck program where you can change the parameters to suit your needs.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” The blonde helmsman pleaded for Harry’s understanding. “I don’t know what to do, Harry. I don’t want to lose B’Elanna but I’m just not ready for this!”

“Well, I hate to tell you this Tom, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too this time. You’re going to have to talk to B’Elanna and tell her how you’re feeling.” Harry noticed the fear in his friend’s eyes and softened his tone. “Tom, if your heart is not in this it’s only fair – to B’Elanna and the baby – that you end it now.”

Harry looked on as the sobbing blonde crumpled to the carpet. He was torn between his friendship with Tom and his friendship with B’Elanna. He had overlooked some of Tom’s foolish behavior in the past, but this was not a simple matter of Tom showing up late for dinner with his wife because he had spent the last few hours on the holodeck with him.

***  
Tom paced nervously in his quarters as he waited for B’Elanna to arrive after her shift ended. He had replicated a nice simple dinner for them both and had everything in stasis dishes to keep it hot. His heart was pounding in his chest as he thought about what he was about to do. That same heart leaped to his throat as the door to their quarter’s opened to admit his wife.

B’Elanna was extremely tired today, more so than usual as she tried to come to terms with her pregnancy. Tom’s reaction was also weighing heavily on her as she thought back to the scene in sickbay this morning…

***  
_“So Doc, what kinda bug did I catch and is it contagious?” B’Elanna asked, as she sat, not so patiently, on the biobed._

_The Doctor favored the half-klingon with a holographic smirk. “It’s not a bug Lieutenant, and I certainly hope it’s not contagious or we’ll have to find another ship to get us all home.”_

_As B’Elanna pondered the Doctor’s cryptic answer as her husband walked in to sickbay._

_“Hey Doc, you wanted to see me?” The blonde helmsman asked as he entered. Noticing his wife on the biobed, he quickly ran to her. “B’Elanna, are you all right?” He looked to the smiling Doctor for answers. “Doc, what’s going on here?”_

_“Well, now that I have you both here I’d like to say… Congratulations, you’re having a baby!” The Doctor looked on in amusement at the play of emotions on both Tom and B’Elanna’s face – from surprise to confusion to anger. Anger?_

_“What are you talking about you useless pile of photons, aren’t you the one who’s been giving me my contraceptive shots every month?”_

_Ignoring the insult hurled at him by the Chief Engineer the Doctor explained. “Well, if I recall correctly you were late for your last dose. Apparently you and Mr. Paris engaged in sexual intercourse during that time without taking any added precautions.”_

_B’Elanna let the words sink in as she thought back to that period of time. She turned to her husband as realization struck. “You petaQ, didn’t I tell you we should use a condom… but no, you said it would be fine. Well guess what flyboy, you were wrong!”_

_Tom was still trying to get his mind around the whole baby thing and barely registered his wife’s accusation. He looked from the Doc to his wife as his eyes rolled up into his head and he fainted._

***  
They still hadn’t had a chance to talk about their impending family and she guessed that this dinner was their opportunity to have that discussion. She was happy to see that Tom was taking this seriously enough to be the one to take this step. She looked at her husband as he stood at the end of the table. He was sweating and appeared to be extremely nervous and B’Elanna had to wonder if Tom really was ready for this kind of responsibility.

“I made us some dinner – I’ll get it on the table while you get changed.” Tom said as he busied himself with the preparations. He’d gone over what he was going to say so many times but right now, he could remember none of it. He sent a prayer out to anyone who was listening that he could find the words when the time came – and that he would survive the aftermath of those words.

B’Elanna washed up and changed into sweatpants and a tank top looking over her body in the full-length mirror to see if there was any indication of her condition. She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she was going to have a baby. It was too soon for this – she wanted to have more time to plan things out, or better yet find a way home before they took this step. It wasn’t going to be easy for her to balance her pregnancy and her job and based on past experience she wasn’t all that sure how much help Tom was going to be. “Well, I guess I should go find out.” She said to herself as she made her way into the other room.

Tom had placed a portion of the dinner on each of their plates and poured them both a glass of wine. He watched as B’Elanna entered the room and took her seat at the table.

B’Elanna sat down and indicated the wine glass. “Is there synthenol in that?” She asked with a raised brow.

“Huh.” Tom was confused by her statement until he realized that pregnant women shouldn’t drink synthenol. “Oh, uh yeah, sorry. Do you want some water… or something else?” Tom sputtered, feeling like an idiot for not thinking about that.

“Water’s fine.” B’Elanna answered flatly.

The two ate in silence both lost in their thoughts about what the future would hold. Tom knew he needed to tell B’Elanna that he wasn’t ready for this and make her understand that he would be there for her no matter what she decided to do. He sat across from his wife who was busy wiping the condensation from the side of her water glass. She seemed nervous as well and that helped Tom find the courage to speak.

“Listen B’Elanna, I know we haven’t really had a chance to discuss all of this, what with me passing out and all, but I really need to be honest with you. I don’t think I can do this – be a father. I’m just not ready for it but I will stand by you no matter what you decide to do.”

That last bit was said so quickly that B’Elanna thought she must have misheard. She looked at the man sitting across from her and she knew without a doubt that he meant every word he just said. “No matter what _**I** _decide to do? _**I**_ can’t just walk away from this Tom, and _**I**_ am not going to do anything but go to bed right now.”

Tom couldn’t believe how calm B’Elanna was. He was certain that she would go into a rage and maybe even punch him out. Instead, his wife was eerily calm as she rose from the table and made her way into the bedroom. He decided not to press his luck and quickly began clearing the table. He looked at B’Elanna just in time to see her turn toward him.

“Oh, and when you’re done cleaning up I suggest you call Harry and see if he’ll take you in because if you stay here tonight you won’t live to see the morning.” With that, B’Elanna disappeared into the bedroom.

He knew B’Elanna’s threat was not an idle one and so Tom had the good sense not to respond as he quickly cleaned up and made his way out into the corridor before calling Harry.

“Kahless, what a fool I’ve been. How could I let myself marry such an honorless gyu’cha?” B’Elanna sat heavily on the edge of her bed leaning forward and placing her hands over her face. “I should have seen this coming – all the time he’s spent playing his holodeck games instead of spending time with me.” B’Elanna began to cry softly as she thought about what had just happened. “I have to take some of the blame though, I could have insisted he come home but I think subconsciously I was happy to have the time alone. That should have been a big red flag for me but I refused to see it.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

B’Elanna lay down on the bed staring up at the ceiling trying to figure out what to do next. She knew she wouldn’t sleep this night and she contemplated getting dressed and heading to Engineering. She also knew the Captain would catch wind of this and have her hide about it. Kathryn. Perhaps she should go and talk to her.

“Torres to Janeway”

“Janeway here. What can I do for you B’Elanna?”

The sound of the woman’s voice triggered something in B’Elanna and she found – to her utter astonishment – that she could not answer. Instead, she began to sob uncontrollably. Moments later, she was being held in small, but deceptively strong arms.

“What happened? Where’s Tom?” Captain Janeway asked as she held on to the distraught young woman.

B’Elanna took a deep, shaky breath before answering. “I sent him away. I didn’t know what else to do Kathryn, I wanted to kill him. Do you want to know why?”

“Of course I do.” The redhead answered. She knew these two had their fair share of spats but they always seemed to be able to get back on track. This time, she could tell, was different from the others – this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Kathryn Janeway knew on some level that the relationship between her Helmsman and Chief Engineer was destined to fail. Tom and B’Elanna were polar opposites in most respects and although that can be a basis for attraction, it was not so in this case. Their rocky relationship was the talk of the ship and their occasional public fights were legendary. Kathryn’s biggest fear was that one day she would be called to the brig to confer with Tuvok about B’Elanna while in sickbay the Doctor tried to patch the sandy-haired helmsman back together.

B’Elanna moved out of the redhead’s arms and took a seat on her bed trying hard not to let her emotions get the best of her again. She was surprised at her own reaction – when she thought of this day (and on some level she knew it would come) she thought she would react in anger. Instead she felt an overwhelming sadness and, on some level, relief that the day was finally here.

“I wasn’t feeling all that great the past few days so I went to see the Doctor this morning.” B’Elanna spoke softly as she stared at her hands. “He checked me out and was about to tell me what was wrong but he seemed to be stalling. Then Tom walked in and I thought maybe something was seriously wrong with me.” At this, the brunette looked up into her Captains eyes. “Turns out I’m pregnant.” B’Elanna waited for the woman to digest what she’d just said before continuing. When she saw Kathryn close her eyes and swallow, she knew the redhead had some idea of where this story was headed.

“I was shocked to say the least, it’s not like we were trying to have a baby. We’d never even discussed it.” B’Elanna shook her head and blew out a breath. “Turns out my aversion to keeping appointments in sick bay and Tom’s ego combined to get me in this mess. So tonight, I come home to find dinner on the table and Tom waiting to talk to me. I really thought he was going to take responsibility… but do you know what he did?” The brunette chuckled ruefully as she once again met the Captains eyes. “He told me he wasn’t ready to be a father but that he’d stand by me no matter what I decided to do.”

As fresh tears began to fall down the dark woman’s face Kathryn pulled the brunette to her and rocked her as she began to sob anew. She held the half-Klingon and rubbed circles on her back as she murmured words of comfort. Inside Kathryn was a mix of angry with the irresponsible young man and deeply saddened for the woman in her arms. Kathryn knew something of loneliness… She understood all too well the difficulties of merging work and private matters. It’s one of the reasons she held out some hope for Tom and B’Elanna – Tom would have plenty of time to play on the holodecks while B’Elanna worked, and he might even get her to take some time off and have a little fun.

Starting a family though, was serious business and she had to give Tom credit for realizing that he wasn’t ready to take that on. That didn’t mean that if he were standing in front of her right now she would commend him – oh no, she’d more than likely give him the dressing down of all dressings down before sending him away to clean the aft nacelles with a toothbrush. However, that would have to wait, right now she was needed by her surrogate daughter and she would not want to be anywhere else.

Seven of Nine stood outside of Captain Janeway’s quarters puzzled by the fact that she was not able to gain admittance. “Computer, state the location of Captain Janeway.”

_Captain Janeway is in the Torres-Paris quarters._

Upon learning the Captain’s location Seven turned and made her way back to Cargo Bay 2 to begin her regeneration cycle. She had hoped to continue the philosophical discussion she and the Captain had started the other evening, but it could certainly wait. Although it was completely illogical Seven found herself wondering why the Captain was in the Torres-Paris quarters. “Computer, state the occupants of the Torres-Paris quarters.”

_Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Torres are the current occupants of the Torres-Paris quarters._

“Computer, state the location of Lieutenant Paris.”

_Lieutenant Paris is in Ensign Kim’s quarters._

Seven’s ocular implant rose as she wondered at the situation.

Her relationship with the Chief Engineer was often adversarial in nature, but she did respect the woman’s abilities, however illogical her methods may be. Lieutenant Paris on the other hand, while a competent pilot, was completely lacking as an individual and was not a worthy mate for Lieutenant Torres. Seven found their relationship most illogical, but then it seemed Seven found most things illogical these days where Lieutenant Torres was concerned.

The blonde was aware that the Lieutenant had been feeling ill and had gone for a check up. This concerned Seven as she knew the Lieutenant had an aversion to sickbay. Adding to her concern was the fact that the Lieutenant was with Captain Janeway while Lieutenant Paris was with Ensign Kim. Seven had always felt that anticipation of the outcome of events beyond your control was pointless and never understood why anyone would waste time in such a manner. Now she was beginning to understand…

***

B’Elanna was feeling a bit more in control and so she moved away from the Captain’s comforting presence. Kathryn had offered to let her stay in her quarters but B’Elanna knew she needed to think everything through and she knew she would be up all night.

“B’Elanna,” Kathryn asked as she stood ready to leave, “I want you to take some time to sort things out. I know you don’t care to leave Engineering in just anyone’s hands, but I think a few days will do you a world of good.” The redhead held up a hand to forestall the brunette’s response. “This is the perfect time, Seven has indicated that there are no inhabited planets or anomalies in our path, most of the major repairs have been made to the ship and Seven is more than capable of seeing to Engineering while you take a few days.”

B’Elanna wanted to argue, she really did, but the events of the past few days had taken their toll on the half-Klingon and she simply went with it. “You’re right Kathryn, I have a lot of thinking to do and decisions to make, but I request the right to a daily status report.”

The redhead smiled at the Engineer’s conditional surrender although a tiny part of her was concerned at how quickly B’Elanna agreed to take some time off. “Well, I feel certain Seven will have no problem providing you with a very thorough report of the days events.” Kathryn rested her hand on the brunette’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “And I am always available if you need someone to talk things through.”

B’Elanna could feel the compassion of the woman in front of her and it helped to ease her worriment a bit. It helped to know that there was someone she could confide in who she knew could be objective and give her an unvarnished opinion. “Thank you Kathryn,” the brunette said quietly as both women walked toward the door, “I may just take you up on that”.

As soon as the door swished closed and B’Elanna was alone she began to feel the weight of her situation even more keenly. She had choices to make that would affect her, both physically and emotionally, for the rest of her life. She moved, barefoot, to the replicator where she almost ordered blood wine forgetting momentarily that she hadn’t made any decisions about this pregnancy. She settled for citrus water, pulled out a blank pad, took a seat on her sofa and began to input her thoughts about her husband and their unborn child.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

It had been a full day and B’Elanna was anxious to know the status of her department. She had compiled a few tasks that she thought would keep the Borg busy enough that she wouldn’t have time to assimilate her engines. Seven was due any moment and B’Elanna was trying to tidy up a bit before the blonde arrived. _What the heck am I doing, it’s just Seven so what do I care if my place is a little messy._

The fact of the matter is, although she’d never admit it out loud, Seven of Nine made B’Elanna nervous. Sure, she pissed her off with her holier than thou attitude and the two had their fare share of verbal sparring matches. There were even a few that rivaled those with Tom, but the two women never let it affect their work. They would push and poke at each other but in the end they got the job done. With Tom they wouldn’t speak for days and she had no doubt in her mind that if they had to work together during these times Tom would be spiteful and immature.

How could she possibly raise a child with someone like that? She knew a baby would require a lot of sacrificing and she knew Tom was not likely to give up his precious holodeck time. If she keeps this baby she’ll pretty much be raising it on her own. How can she possibly do that? Would it be fair to bring a child into this situation? B’Elanna looked down and placed her hand on her still flat stomach. “What am I supposed to do about you?” She rubbed at her belly absentmindedly. “Kahless, help me figure this out.” Her thoughts were interrupted by her door chime. Seven was here and for the first time she could ever remember B’Elanna was glad to see the drone.

***

Seven was somewhat apprehensive as she reached the Engineer’s quarters. She knew that Lieutenant Torres would not be happy leaving her engines in Sevens care. It was something the blonde found difficult to understand as she was perfectly capable of maintaining the half-Klingon’s standards. She had often wished that the Lieutenant did not harbor this distrust as the two would make a formidable team. Seven steeled herself for a possible altercation and passed her hand over the sensor to announce her presence.

The door swished open as Seven heard the Engineer call for her to enter. She moved into the quarters and quickly took in the slight disarray before moving on to the brunette herself. In place of her uniform B’Elanna was wearing a simple tank top and loose fitting pants. Seven’s eyes travelled down the woman’s body to her feet, which were bare. The lighting was subdued and there was music softly playing. The tension that was usually present when the two met was surprisingly absent and Seven found herself relaxing just a bit.

“Well, I haven’t heard any klaxon’s or red alerts so I’m guessing we’re still in one piece.” B’Elanna moved toward the sofa and sat looking up at the blonde. “You’re gonna have to sit Seven, I am not gonna break my neck looking up at you and I am too tired to stand up for this.”

Seven noted that the brunette did in fact look extremely tired and so the blonde took a seat without commenting. She held out a pad to the Engineer. “I have compiled a complete report of all systems and have included recommendations for improvements.”

B’Elanna chuckled. “Well, sorry to burst your bubble blondie but you were assigned to keep an eye on things and that does not include assimilating my engines.” The brunette handed several pads to Seven. “Here are a few projects that I was hoping to get to. I think they should keep you busy enough so you’ll keep your tubules where they belong.”

“I have not engaged my tubules in quite some time Lieutenant. However, I will attempt to complete as many of these projects as feasible during your absence.” Seven smirked before adding, “I will attempt to limit the use of my tubules in order to do so.”

To say that B’Elanna was flabbergasted by not only the clever comeback but the actual smirk on Seven’s face would be an understatement. She shook her head as the blonde rose to take her leave. “You are just full of surprises, Borg.”

Seven simply nodded at the statement as she headed for the door. Before the sensor activated the blonde turned, “Lieutenant Torres, I am unaware of the circumstances behind your leave of absence, but I assure you that I will maintain your engine room and crew to your standards.” Seven wished to alleviate some of the concern she knew the brunette must be feeling. She found herself inexplicably curious and so she added. “If you require any further assistance I would be willing to provide this for you if I am able.”

With that the drone walked through the door leaving the half-Klingon gaping at the space she had just occupied. “Did that just happen?” B’Elanna mused aloud. Seven had basically just offered her assistance to the brunette personally and B’Elanna found herself considering the offer. “My world has certainly gone topsy-turvy hasn’t it?”

B’Elanna showered and prepared a light meal and was getting ready to review the pad Seven had left her. She would get back to her ‘list’ a bit later. After reviewing the status of Engineering and having a brief conversation with Vorik B’Elanna was ready to get back to weighing her options. She looked for the pad she had been working in last night but didn’t see it on the table. She looked under the table and around the immediate vicinity but couldn’t find the pad anywhere. Suddenly her heart leaped into her throat. “Oh Kahless, I think I handed it to Seven with the other pads!”

Her door chimed just as B’Elanna was getting ready to tap her combadge and call Seven. “Computer, who is at my door?”

_Seven of Nine is at your door_

“Enter.” No sooner had the blonde gotten through the door and B’Elanna asked. “Seven, I’m pretty sure one of the pads I gave you was personal and got mixed in with the others. Could I get it back?”

The blonde had an odd expression on her face as she handed the pad in question to the brunette. “I was scanning through each pad and storing the information in my eidetic memory so that I could compile all of the projects and prioritize them. I had already scanned the information from your pad before I realized what it was.” Seven could not look the Engineer in the eye. “I assure you Lieutenant, I did not intend to be made aware of your situation in this manner and I will not divulge any of what I have learned.” Finally the blonde raised her eyes. “I wish to know if you would take offence if I offered some insight.”

“You know, I should be furious over the fact that you read what was on the pad.” The Engineer closed her eyes and shook her head in resignation. “I should be absolutely livid that you would even consider wanting to give me an opinion about what you read. But you know what, everything is just so crazy right now that I am not going to be furious or livid, I am simply going to sit my ass down on that sofa and let you tell me what I should do – because I don’t have a single clue.”

Seven followed the brunette and took a seat on the chair opposite the sofa. The blonde sat with her signature perfect posture but the hands in her lap were giving away her trepidation. “Lieutenant I do not wish to tell you what you should do, I simply wish to, as you said, give an opinion on some of the things in the pad.”

“Well Seven,” she answered, “If you’re going to get into my personal business the least you could do is call me B’Elanna.”

“Very well, B’Elanna, I understand your hesitance in making a decisions regarding continuing or terminating the pregnancy. What I fail to understand is why, in the event you decide to carry the child to term, you would want to alter its physiology in order to remove or diminish any Klingon characteristics?”

“You, of all people, should understand the stigma associated with appearance.” The half-Klingon spat angrily. “I can’t believe you would even question that.”

“Borg drones are functional, and are not intended to be aesthetically pleasing. The terror they instill in others is warranted. Klingon’s, however, are a proud race of warriors who mate within and outside of their species.” Seven tilted her head to the side as she continued to explain. “You are half-Klingon, Lieutenant Paris is fully human, and therefore your offspring would only be one quarter Klingon. If the child were to have Klingon features they would be diminished even further than your own which are aesthetically pleasing.”

B’Elanna could only nod at what the blonde had just said. Seven found her aesthetically pleasing? That was completely unexpected, and from the looks of things Seven had more to say.

“Furthermore, your assertion that you would have to raise your offspring on your own is false. I believe that there would be many on this ship that would assist you in the care and management of your child.” Seven looked down at her hands. “I enjoy interacting with Naomi Wildman and would be happy to be a part of such a group. Samantha Wildman would be an invaluable source of information, and I am sure Captain Janeway would do all that was in her power to assist as well.”

The half-Klingon was doing her best to maintain her composure, but the thought that this woman – a woman that she had been openly hostile toward at times – was offering to ease her burden, was offering to give her time to help care for the child of someone who wasn’t even a friend... It was too much for the brunette to take and so she fell to the floor, sobbing as tears cascaded down her face.

Seven was completely unprepared for such a reaction and stood there for a moment watching the woman breaking down in front of her. The blonde felt incredibly inadequate and did what she normally did when faced with such an emotional issue.

“Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway!” The blonde called frantically.

“Seven, are you all right?” The Captain answered with concern at the blondes tone.

“I am functioning acceptably, Lieutenant Torres, however, is quite distraught and I am unsure how to proceed.”

“I’m on my way.” The Captain could hear B’Elanna sobbing in the background and so she hurried to see just what her two ‘daughters’ had gotten themselves into.

Seven could no longer bear to see the brunette cry and so she attempted to offer comfort as she had seen Samantha do for Naomi on the few occasions the young girl was upset. She knelt down next to the woman and placed her hand on her back. As soon as she touched B’Elanna’s shoulder the brunette flew into her arms. Seven was caught off guard and had simply held the half-Klingon rigidly, but after a few moments she relaxed and began to speak softly to the woman.

“I must apologize Lieutenant; I did not mean to upset you.” Seven began to rock the woman in her arms gently. “I had hoped to alleviate your concerns and offer an alternative for you to consider.”

The brunette began to calm a bit and upon hearing Seven’s apology she answered. “You’ve done nothing wrong Seven.”

Captain Janeway arrived at the brunette’s quarters and bypassed the door sensor with her command code. She strode quickly into the quarters to find B’Elanna on the floor sobbing into Seven’s shoulder and moved to the pair on the floor. Seeing the slightly panicked look in Seven’s eyes she pulled the softly sobbing brunette away and into her own arms.

“Hey, easy now, it’s all right.” Kathryn soothed the brunette while looking at the blonde to let her know the comment was meant for her as well. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Seven related the events that had just occurred and the redhead found herself tearing up as well at the offer the blonde had made. She was fairly certain a good portion of what B’Elanna was feeling was guilt over her past treatment of Seven. Fate had a strange way of bringing people together. Kathryn had always thought these two women would be much better as allies than enemies and the current circumstance may be just the thing to bring them together as such. Kathryn would be right there with them, helping them to see each other as something other than adversaries.

This child would cement that bond, would help Seven regain even more of her humanity, would give B’Elanna someone to love unconditionally, and would breath new life – literally and figuratively – into everyone on this ship. This was a blessing in so many ways. They all had a long way to go but they would get through it together – three women and a baby.

Fini


End file.
